Thorburn: Boyle's CU Buffs still have a long way to go

Colorado's fan base still had a case of March Madness in the middle of October.

The Buffs' storybook run through the Pac-12 Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament filled the bandwagon in a hurry.

CU's ticket office finally stopped season ticket sales at just under 6,700 with the C-Unit adding about 2,500 to the total.

After about three fall Saturdays the football season was a lost cause and the question on campus was:

Is it November yet?

As Tad Boyle prepared to take on a daunting nonconference schedule with one senior and six true freshmen in the program, CU's third-year head coach did his best to calm outside expectations for the 2012-13 Buffs.

"Let me say this, the expectations of this team are far ahead of where the team is," Boyle said at CU's basketball media day as practices began in mid-October. "They are a little out of whack right now."

After Saturday's assertive 80-52 victory over Hartford, the Buffs look like a team capable of making some more March memories.

"We want to win it all. There is nothing less than that," Booker said. "That will be where our mark is set."

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CU improved to 10-2 with a resume that includes the Charleston Classic championship, a decisive win over a very good Colorado State team, and road losses at No. 6 Kansas (11-1) and undefeated Wyoming (12-0).

Last season the Buffs were picked to finish tied for 10th in the preseason poll and finished the regular season tied for fifth before winning four games in four nights in Los Angeles.

"We'll find out," Boyle said. "I don't get too concerned with those (predictions), other than when I hear people say it's a given we're going to be in the NCAA Tournament or it's a given we're going to win this game or that game.

"Nothing is given in college basketball."

The Buffs will have a chance to find out how far they still have to go, or perhaps how much they've improved, on Thursday when they open conference play at No. 3 Arizona (12-0).

CU defeated the Wildcats in the conference tournament title game at the Staples Center to earn the automatic invitation to the Big Dance.

"I'm excited and I feel like we played a pretty tough nonconference schedule," Scott said after helping CU out-rebound Hartford 52-21. "This is obviously my first year, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about."

The Buffs' best nonconference win last season was probably the 70-68 home victory over an average Georgia team or the 76-73 overtime win at below-average Air Force.

CU was 8-4 entering the Pac-12 schedule.

"Our nonconference was way better this year," Dinwiddie said. "And it will better help us prepare for the Pac-12."

Boyle can't look ahead, but those rules don't apply in this space.

CU should finish in the top four in the Pac-12 with Arizona, Oregon and UCLA.

If the Buffs can live up to that expectation, they will be playing in the NCAA Tournament again, even if they don't cut down the nets at the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.

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